Pouring spout and cover therefor



Aug. 17, 1965 K- BROCKEN POURING SPOUT AND COVER THEREFOR Filed Jan. 4, 1965 INVENTOFZ KARL BQOCKEN 0mm 3b. fizdmzm 3,201,011 POURING SPOUT AND COVER THEREFOR Karl Brocken, Aurora, Ill., assignor to Anfinsen Plastic Molding, Inc., Aurora, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Jan. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 423,288 3 Claims. (Cl. 222473) This invention relates to improvements in pouring spouts and is more particularly concerned with the novel construction and assembly of a pouring spout having a self-closing cover therefor.

The combination pouring spout and cover preferably is fabricated from plastic material suitably molded and formed to be associated integrally one with the other easily and quickly during production. More specifically, the pouring spout is comprised of a one-piece structure having a top wall formed with a pouring opening and a depending circumferential skirt, preferably internally threaded or otherwise formed so as to be fitted securely onto the neck of a container. The pouring opening has integral with it a pouring lip, and an integral handle projects radially and downwardly from the perimeter of the spout.

The cap or cover comprises a one-piece molded circular body adapted, when in a closed position, to overlie the pouring spout and close the pouring opening. It includes a finger engaging portion radiating from one side thereof and which is formed with a tongue that is readily insertable into a slot provided in the handle for integrally connecting the cover with the pouring spout. The tongue is so formed as to retain the cover normally tensioned in a closed position.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a novel pouring spout-cover assembly.

Another object is to provide novel means to hingedly attach a cover to a pouring spout.

Another object is to provide a hinge of novel construction and assembly.

Another object is to provide a normally tensioned hinge structure.

Another object is to provide a pouring spout-cover assembly that is not expensive to manufacture, is easy to assemble and highly eflicient in use.

The structure, by means of which the above noted and other advantages of the invention are attained, will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the combination pouring spout and cover;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the cover, as viewed along line 33 of FIG. 4; and,

FIG. 4 is a diametrical sectional view of the cover, looking in the direction of the hinge element.

Referring to the exemplary disclosure of the combination pouring spout and cover as disclosed in the accompanying drawings, the pouring spout 10 comprises a circular body characterized by a top wall 11 having depending therefrom an internally threaded circumferential skirt 12. A circumferential flange 13 is provided on United States Patent "ice the top side of said top wall 11. The top wall 11 has a pouring opening. 14 therein. A pouring lip 15 is formed integral with the edge of said opening.

The pouring spout body has integralwith it and extending outwardly radially therefrom, a handle 16 which is formed, closely adjacent to the body, with a well 17 including a bottom wall 18. The wall 18 is formed with a slot 19 closely adjacent to the body flange 13.

A cover 21 is designed to overlie the pouring spout When said cover is in a closed position. As shown, this cover comprises a circular top wall 22 having depending therefrom a circumferential flange 23 that is substantially coincidental to the body flange 13 and has a straight chordal portion. A finger piece 24- extends radially from the flange 23 in the region of the straight chordal flange portion and it is adapted to overlie the well 17 when the cover is in place.

The cover is hingedly connected to the pouring spout body by means of a tongue 25 that depends from the cover assembly and is extended downwardly through slot 19. As best shown in FIG. 3, the lower end of the tongue has a reversedly facing shoulder 26 that engages beneath the well wall 18 so as to prevent withdrawal of the tongue from the slot. Still referring to FIG. 3, the tongue 25 is integrally connected to the bottom free edge of the cover flange 23 by a thin walled resilient connector web 27 having a normal contour such as to cause the tongue 25 to lie at an angle to the plane of the cover. When the tongue is straightened out and inserted in the slot 19 it has a tendency to urge the cover into its closed position. In order to carry the cover into an open position, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 2, the finger piece 24 is depressed into the well 17, to thereby raise the cover against the normal resiliency of the connector web 27. When released, the cover will spring back into its closed position.

It should be apparent that the structure depicted can be fabricated inexpensively and that its two parts can be assembled easily and quickly and when assembled the cover will be permanently secured in place and will tend at all times to remain closed.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of the structure may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction shown and described.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of: a circular body having an upstanding circumferential flange, a pouring opening in said body spaced from said upstanding flange, a pouring lip extending upwardly from and on one side of said opening, a handle on said body extending outwardly radially and downwardly, said handle being ofiset downwardly adjacent to said body to define a well therein, a slot in said handle closely adjacent to said body, and a cover for said body comprising a circular top wall, an annular skirt integral with and depending from said top wall and normally seated on the upper edge of said upstanding flange, a finger piece integral with said top wall and extending outwardly radially to overlie the well, and a tongue integrally connected resiliently to the cover in the region of the juncture of the top wall with said finger piece, said tongue being engaged in the slot to retain the cover in place over the body.

2. A cover for a pouring spout comprising a circular top wall, an annular skirt integral with and depending from said top Wall and having a straight chordal portion, a finger piece integral with the top wall and extendnig outwardly radially therefrom in the region of said straight wall portion and a tongue integral with the bottom free edge of said straight wall chordal portion of the flange, said tongue normally being inclined inwardly radially and downwardly.

3. The cover recited in claim 2, in which the connection between the tongue and flange straight wall portion is inherently flexible.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,937,794 5/60 Quandt 222-517 X 3,022,925 2/ 62 Daniel'l 2225l7 3,157,322 11/64 Bernhardt 222-517 3,168,226 2/65 Underwood et al. 222-472 M. BENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

LOUIS J. DEMBO, Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION OF: A CIRCULAR BODY HAVING AN UPSTANDING CIRCUMFERENTIAL FLANGE, A POURING OPENING IN SAID BODY SPACED FROM SAID UPSTANDING FLANGE, A POURING LIP EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM AND ON ONE SIDE OF SAID OPENING, A HANDLE ON SAID BODY EXTENDING OUTWARDLY RADIALLY AND DOWNWARDLY, SAID HANDLE BEING OFFSET DOWNWARDLY ADJACENT TO SAID BODY TO DEFINE A WELL THEREIN, A SLOT IN SAID HANDLE CLOSELY ADJACENT TO SAID BODY, AND A COVER FOR SAID BODY COMPRISING A CIRCULAR TOP WALL, AN ANNULAR SKIRT INTEGRAL WITH AND DEPENDING FROM SAID TOP WALL AND NORMALLY SEATED ON THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID UPSTANDING FLANGE, A FINGER PIECE INTEGRAL WITH SAID TOP WALL AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY RADIALLY TO OVERLIE THE WELL, AND A TONGUE INTEGRALLY CONNECTED RESILIENTLY TO THE COVER IN THE REGION OF THE JUNCTURE OF THE TOP WALL WITH SAID FINGER PIECE, SAID TONGUE BEING ENGAGED IN THE SLOT TO RETAIN THE COVER IN PLACE OVER THE BODY. 